Real Madrid ace Karim Benzema thought he had scored the opening goal of the 2022 UEFA Champions League final when a mad scramble in Liverpool’s box ended up with the Frenchman slotting the ball into the net. A lengthy VAR ultimately decided that Benzema was offside.
This call was controversial to say the least.
Four years ago, Gareth Bale scored a sensational bicycle kick to win his team a Champions League title under the lights of the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine. That sentence is as impossible as ever in 2022. Perhaps it’s worth looking back at the players who took part in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final and see where they are now.
GK — Loris Karius
Real Madrid smashed Levante 6-0 to confirm Levante’s relegation on Thursday. Vini Jr. had three goals and Luka Modrić had three assists. For me, the best play of the game was the Karim Benzema assist to Vini Jr. for the fifth, the Frenchman going full Gumby-legs to set up the Brazilian.
There’s no sequence of words that can accurately describe and recap the magical events that took place at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday. What is certain is that Real Madrid’s miraculous comeback to win 6-5 on aggregate against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semifinal would never have happened without Ferland Mendy’s heroic defensive actions in the 87th minute.
You never write Real Madrid out of a Champions League plot. Never do it. Ever. Except this time. This time it felt right. This time they truly seemed cooked.
Real Madrid captured its 35th league title on Saturday after cruising to a 4-0 victory vs. Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabéu. Joyous scenes followed the victory with a trophy lift and a funny, but a little nervy moment for viewers with the manager. Watch as the Real Madrid players throw Carlo Ancelotti in the air after the game.
Everyone stopped. Well, almost everyone.
Bernardo Silva heeded that ageless piece of wisdom taught to every young soccer player around the world: Play to the whistle. He was rewarded with a stunning goal, the fourth in Manchester City’s 4-3 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League semifinals.
MADRID - Real Madrid's Karim Benzema struck an added time winner as the visitors recovered from two goals down to beat title rivals Sevilla 3-2 in a thrilling LaLiga clash on Sunday that took Carlo Ancelotti's side a step closer to winning the title.
The victory means Real now have a 15-point lead at the top over second-placed Barcelona, who have two games in hand, and Sevilla in third with six rounds of matches remaining.
It was the defending champion against the winningest side of all time. Two teams with imperious defenses and free-flowing offenses. Squads loaded with talented youngsters and experienced veterans. It was one of the best Champions League matches of all time, and it ended with a header from Karim Benzema.
Karim Benzema showed the world why he’s one of the best in the world at the moment with a hat trick at Stamford Bridge to see his side defeat Chelsea 3-1 in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. This was his second hat trick in a row in the Champions League.
Benzema’s third goal was truly bizarre as Chelsea’s star Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy made an unforced, dreadful error the Frenchman capitalized on.